Navigating tension for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice: organizational activist strategies and considerations

Purpose We explore how organizational activists (OAs) navigate tension for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach From interviews, we examine how OAs understand and work with tension to further organizational DEIJ. Findings OAs used strategies that were either more overt or covert, and either aimed at increasing tension or building capacity to handle tension. Based on these two dimensions, four strategies utilized by OAs to navigate tension for DEIJ emerged: advocating, subverting, facilitating and healing. Research limitations/implications This paper reconceptualizes how OAs work with tension in practice, offering a typology of strategies for navigating tension, including tactics aimed at amplifying tension and building the capacity to handle tension. Practical implications Based on findings, this paper offers a menu of tactics OAs might consider, as well as a framework to help assess which strategies may be most appropriate for a given scenario and offers organizations strategies to support OAs committed to DEIJ. Originality/value This paper expands the scope of strategies used by OAs and offers insights into how OAs consider tension in practice.